In foundry casting metal parts in sand molds, it is necessary to clean sand and other debris off the casting after the metal solidifies and is broken out of the sand mold in which it is formed. This is commonly done using compressed air nozzles against the external and internal surfaces of the casting along with such brushing or impacting as may be need to loosen the sand and other debris.
In certain types of foundry casting operations, particularly in the automotive industry, castings are made in mass production at a high rate of speed which makes it difficult to clean the castings fast enough to keep up with the production rate. This is particularly true in the casting of engine blocks, heads and similar types of castings which have internal cavities which communicate through openings to the outside surfaces of the castings. For example, in engine blocks, the internal cylinders and the like cavities communicate through openings in the ends of the casting as well as openings through the side walls of the casting. In these types of castings, it is somewhat difficult to clean off sand and other debris which sticks to them following their removal from the sand casting molds which are used to produce them. Thus, there is a need for a rapid, automatic system for cleaning the internal cavities within such type of castings with minimum labor and equipment.
The invention herein relates to a machine which will automatically clean off, that is, blow-out, the debris from within the internal cavities of castings such as engine blocks, at a high rate of speed, without the need for separate labor for handling or cleaning.